


Driving: Rain

by mansikka



Series: Driving [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Human Castiel, M/M, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-04
Updated: 2016-02-04
Packaged: 2018-05-18 00:47:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5891611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mansikka/pseuds/mansikka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean stared up at the ceiling as Cas continued to shiver beside him.</p><p>“C'mon, Cas. Blow out the candles and shuffle over.”</p><p>“Dean?”</p><p>“You're freezing, I'm freezing, we'll warm up quicker if we're... you know.”</p><p>He felt Cas tense for a second before turning his back to him, and the room grew a little darker with reduced candlelight. And Cas was shuffling towards him.</p><p>Dean swallowed, a little thickly before turning to blow out his own candles. “Turn your back to me.”</p><p>Eventually Dean had positioned Cas on his side and he spooned up behind him, throwing an arm over his waist.</p><p>“You okay, Cas?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“You sure?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Driving: Rain

“There's no way we can keep driving in this, Cas. It's too heavy.”

As if to emphasise the point the car lit up white, and thunder rumbled so heavily they could feel the car tremble beneath them.

The rain sheeted down, relentless.

It had been raining almost all day, steadying in intensity. Dean had set off in the morning pretty confidently, patting Baby's steering wheel in trust and ignoring Cas' worried repeating of the flood warnings from the TV they'd just been watching in the motel lobby.

Dean had started making jokes about how a former angel of the Lord shouldn't be afraid of a little precipitation, but the death glare he received back clamped his mouth down shut.

As the day wore on, Dean's cockiness withered away as the clouds rolled in darker, and the wind whipped up a frenzy. He phoned Sam, who'd chosen to stay behind because on the easier hunts, one of them took a day off, and Sam had laughed at his grumpiness but told him to be careful.

They'd stopped in a diner, watching through the window in silence as the car park puddles bled into one another and began to trickle rivulets across the footpaths.

Dean suggested they stocked up on food for the road and keep going, still insistent that they'd make it back to the bunker by the end of the day. They climbed into the car with supplies, drenched from the short run between the car and a convenience store.

There was a near-miss when the car aqua-planed, and careered across the road bringing a truck to a screeching stop.

Dean had to slam on the brakes quickly a few more miles up the road, barely stopping in time without hitting the car in front as the one in front of it succumbed to the rain by crashing.

The sky remained dark and dismal and yet seemed to grow darker still as the day went on, and the easy conversation between Dean and Cas had drifted away to apprehensive silence.

Another diversion, and Dean gave up. They'd have to find somewhere to stop for the night, no question.

The first motel they passed was flooded out, one solitary welcome sign flickering ominously. The second had no electricity at all, and on route to a third was the moment Baby decided she'd had enough of being buffeted around, blew a tyre in frustration and tipped herself head first into a ditch.

Dean and Cas fell forward heavily against the dashboard with their air being pushed out of them with a huff as they hit.

“You okay, Cas?” Automatically Dean reached a hand across to rest on his back, hearing a soft groan as Cas tried to pull himself into a more upright position.

“I will be fine, Dean. Are you injured?”

Dean gave himself a two second check over and shook his head. “Nope, all good here.”

“We cannot stay here, Dean. Not at this angle and not so close to the road.”

Dean glanced over to where Cas was bracing himself against the dashboard and sighed out heavily. “Yeah. Where're we gonna go though?” He looked out behind them and could see nothing but the black sky.

“I do not know.”

They both listened to the rain falling, and shivered.

After a lot of grumbling and uncomfortable wriggling, they managed to drag both themselves and their bags out of the car, and began a slow, unhappy trudge along the side of the road, shining flashlights out into the night.

The rain continued, and they hunched in on themselves uncomfortably, neither having particularly dressed for the weather.

Both were silent, and miserable, as their clothes became heavily saturated and their shoes filled until their socks squelched. It didn't help when a car sped past dangerously close and sprayed them with oily, muddy water.

The motel they found half an hour later was out of power.

There were two cars in the car park that they passed on cold, saturated feet, and Dean could see the outline of other people sitting around minimal lighting in their rooms. There was no clerk to be seen at the desk at all, and so Dean quickly leaned across the counter to help himself to a set of room keys.

When they finally found their room number, they stepped into the room, closed the door behind them, and the only noise to be heard was the steady dripping of water from their clothes.

Both sighed in something on its way to relief.

Dean threw the bags to the floor and knelt down, wrinkling his nose up in distaste at the way his jeans clung wetly to his skin, and zipped the bag open.

“Here, hold this for me,” he handed Cas the flashlight to point inside the bags, and gave a happy yes! when he found candles. Living as they did had its advantages, even if it was just making them slightly more resourceful than would normally be necessary.

Dean stood with a soggy, gloopy sound, shakily lighting the candles as their lack of movement finally caught up to the cold.

“Get changed, Cas.”

Tactfully turning their backs to each other, Cas and Dean spent the next few minutes stripping down every wet layer with difficulty, and roughly drying themselves off with the towels that had been on the end of the bed.

Bed, thought Dean, sighing softly. He would pick a room with one bed, wouldn't he? That was going to drive his imagination into a frenzy with Cas being within touching distance. He closed his eyes, willing away thoughts he couldn't let snowball, and looked over at the bed, switching to a mindset of practicality. It was big enough for them both and you know, he told himself. Shared body heat and all that.

He could hear Cas' teeth chattering behind him, and half-peered over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of Cas' naked back and quickly spinning back. “You gonna hurry it along, Cas, or do you want to catch your death?”

They both pulled on their spare sets of clothes as quickly as they could, with Dean gathering up their wet things, taking them to the bathroom to ring out, and draping them around where he could.

When he came back to the main room he found Cas warming his hands over the candles and felt a little pull of affection.

“Cold?” he asked, pointlessly.

“A little.”

“Well. How about we eat something real quick, then sleep?”

He waited for Cas to nod and rummaged in one of the bags for food.

Pre-wrapped sandwiches, chips, and candy bars later, having eaten by hasty candlelight, they were adequately full. Both still shivered a little as they brushed their teeth in the thankfully still running water, and stood awkwardly beside the bed at opposite sides.

“C'mon, Cas. Quicker we get under, quicker we get warm.” Dean propped a couple of the candles up on one side of the bed, waving Cas forward. When Cas was stood next to him he smiled, heart giving a little thud and moving out around him to the other side.

With the candles on the cabinet closest to him resting against the lamp, he rolled the flashlight to within grabbing distance and reached forward to grab a handful of blankets, nodding for Cas to do the same.

A rustling of sheets, a mumbled apology for the colliding of thighs, and they were in, willing themselves warm.

Dean stared up at the ceiling as Cas continued to shiver beside him.

“C'mon, Cas. Blow out the candles and shuffle over.”

“Dean?”

“You're freezing, I'm freezing, we'll warm up quicker if we're... you know.”

He felt Cas tense for a second before turning his back to him, and the room grew a little darker with reduced candlelight. And Cas was shuffling towards him.

Dean swallowed, a little thickly before turning to blow out his own candles. “Turn your back to me.”

Eventually Dean had positioned Cas on his side and he spooned up behind him, throwing an arm over his waist.

“You okay, Cas?”

“Yes.”

“You sure?”

Cas remained silent for a moment, and then, “I am cold, Dean.”

Dean found himself pressing his knees into the backs of Cas' and squeezing him a little tighter. Thankfully for Dean, his protective streak could still, for the most part, win out over his one-track mind. Which of late, played Cas on repeat, doing all sorts of things at all different speeds.

Most of the time protectiveness won out, he thought, reining an idle thought back in.

“We'll warm up soon. Promise.”

“This is not... a normal sleeping position for us, Dean.”

Dean smiled against the back of Cas' head. Oh good, you've noticed...

“No. No, it isn't,” he agreed, and reminded himself that he hadn't already been thinking that for the last ten minutes or more, and this apparent ease he spoke with was a carefully placed facade. “You uncomfortable with this?”

“No,” Cas mumbled, but Dean could tell there was some discomfort in his voice.

“If it makes you feel any better, Sam and me used to do this all the time as kids, to keep warm. Right up until he got taller than me.”

“I am not uncomfortable, Dean, however I enjoy that image of your childhood.” As though to prove his point, Cas settled back a little more comfortably against him.

“Good.”

“Although I must admit I am curious to hear of the circumstances which required you to be seeking heat from one another.”

Dean sighed, not wanting to rehash those kinds of memories here in the dark. “Well. You've heard enough about my dad to know it wasn't the most stable of upbringings.”

Cas grunted in agreement.

“Sometimes we got apartments but couldn't afford to heat them when dad was off somewhere. Most of the time, we were either in the back of the Impala or a crappy motel, and you've stayed in your fair share before now to know the heating isn't exactly reliable.”

“I am sorry to hear that you had to experience that.”

Dean shrugged, and they both grew silent.

Dean soon felt himself begin to thaw out, and his sighs turned to relaxed ones. Cas still shivered, stiff by his side.

“You doing okay there, Cas?”

“I am still very, very cold, Dean.”

“Yeah...you are a bit, huh? I'm sorry we don't have more clothes for you to put on. Hold on,”

And with that Dean was fumbling the flashlight on, and up out of the bed, tucking the blanket in around Cas who still complained at the loss of heat.

A successful search turned up a couple of spare blankets in the room's solitary closet, and Dean smirked to himself before whipping back the cover from the bed.

Cas jumped, barking out Dean's name in protest as Dean flicked out both blankets and covered him with them, tucking them all around, carefully under his knees and pushing a side in under his elbows, before sliding back down himself and throwing the main cover over them both.

He shifted forward again to press against Cas' back, securing his arm tightly around his waist.

“Give it a minute, Cas. You'll be warm soon. I promise.”

“Thank you, Dean.”

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Cas' trembles reduced and Dean finally felt him relaxing in his arms before drifting off to sleep.

***

Even before he opened his eyes, Dean could tell the rain hadn't let up.

He could hear it striking dully against the windows and splashing down into already-existing puddles that he hoped wouldn't reach out enough to flood this motel as well.

As gently as he could, Dean slid out of the bed to use the bathroom.

When he came back into the room, Cas had flipped over and was snuggled into where Dean had been laying, leeching all of the heat from there. He rolled his eyes, and climbed back in as best as he could manage to around Cas.

Cas, of course, grumbled at the intrusion.

“Come on, man. Budge up. Share.”

Muttering under his breath, Cas moved just enough to let Dean lay down and then pressed himself back into Dean's side, this time facing him. In his sleepiness he seemed to have no problem at all with being half-laid on Dean's chest, draping his arm across his side.

Dean didn't object either, only looking down to grin. He might not be able to stop himself from fantasising a little, but he wasn't about to deny himself entirely.

“Comfy, there?”

“Yes. You are warm.” Cas pressed his face into Dean's chest, and Dean bit back a laugh.

“Okay, Cas.” And Dean brought up his arms to wrap around Cas, drifting back to sleep to the sound of Cas' pleased little breath.

When they woke a little later, the rain had slowed a little, but a quick glance at what they could see of the sky without moving too much told them that it was still dark, and full of rain.

With their phones out of battery and no way to charge them, Dean didn't relish the thought of trudging out to find some way to rescue the car, or get themselves elsewhere. So he laid back in the almost-comfortable bed, and waited for Cas to wake up fully, smacking back any thoughts of him that were less than clean. It was an ongoing battle.

When Cas stirred against his chest, he rested his chin there and looked up at Dean, bleary-eyed.

“Good morning, Dean.”

“Morning, Cas,” he smiled wildly down at him, “I won't ask if you slept well since you used me as a pillow.”

“You are an exceptionally comfortable pillow,” was Cas' first retort, grumbled into Dean's chest in a way that made him hold his breath, and then Cas grew very still.

“...Cas?”

No response.

“Uh, Cas?”

“I am sorry, Dean. I am being inappropriate.” And with that, Cas started to pull away, only to be stopped by Dean's firm grip on his upper arms.

“Inappropriate?”

Cas looked up to see Dean's raised eyebrow, and quickly slid his eyes away again. “Yes.”

“Cas?”

“I should not be... sleeping on you like this.”

“Oh. Well,” Dean shrugged, untroubled on the outside but inside his thoughts whirling up a storm, “I get it. But I don't mind, Cas.”

Cas resolutely continued to look elsewhere, and Dean grew increasingly suspicious.

“Cas...”

Cas jumped out of the bed and moved to the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind him.

Dean rolled his eyes, listening to Cas as he worked through whatever little routine he had, and then plastered a neutral expression on his face as Cas returned.

Cas stood awkwardly beside the bed as though not sure where he should be.

“Get back in, Cas. No point us going anywhere or catching cold.”

“You cannot, technically, 'catch a cold',” Cas said, all the while climbing back under the covers. He kept himself back from Dean for just a second before Dean laughed and pulled him into his arms.

“Cas. C'mon. We're cold. We're... it's okay, Cas. What's the big deal?”

Cas shook his head, and Dean saw a slight blush to Cas' face.

“What was all that nonsense about being inappropriate, anyway?”

Cas let out a long suffering sigh. “Dean,” his voice pleaded, “You cannot be unaware of...my reaction this morning,” he offers.

Oh. Well no, Dean thought, he'd have to have been numb from the waist down to not have felt Cas pressing insistently against his thigh, but that's why he'd extricated himself earlier because he'd been doing just the same.

“Hate to break it to you Cas. I had the same reaction myself. We're guys. We do that. Honestly. No big deal.”

Cas looked away.

“It's not a problem, Cas, honest.”

“I disagree.”

“Well go ahead and disagree, but I'm not gonna be offended by a normal bodily reaction, Cas.” and there was enough affection in his voice to make Cas look up.

“You aren't angry.” and Cas’ reply came out statement rather than question.

“For what? I already told you, no.”

Cas took the tiniest of breaths, and then, “What if it wasn't just a 'normal bodily reaction', Dean?”

“Uh...Cas?”

“What if,” and now Cas pulled away a little more from Dean, “it wasn't just a bodily reaction, but my body reacting to yours?”

Dean's mouth opened and closed fishlike, and he narrowed his eyes.

“Um. Cas?”

Cas looked up at him quickly then, his eyes mournful, and embarrassed.

“Cas. What are you trying to tell me?”

“This would not be the first time that I have reacted to you. Like that,” he finishes with, refusing to maintain eye contact but his cheeks flushing hard enough to say what he couldn't get out of his mouth.

“Oh. Oh,” and it was Dean's turn to lay very, very still.

“It is inappropriate.” Cas repeated, pressing his point and sounding contrite.

“I...uh...” Dean's words escaped him and he cleared his throat to try again. “Cas. I don't honestly know if I totally understand what you're trying to tell me,” he knew he was babbling a little, but his brain was several seconds behind the rest of his body and he had to make do with the words he could get out. “But I think you might be saying something about... uh...attraction.” Dean found himself to be blushing then, and huffed a little at himself.

Cas nodded rapidly, still keeping his eyes elsewhere. “Yes, Dean. I do. Find you attractive, that is.”

Dean's eyes grew wide at that.

“I see.”

“So you can appreciate my...awkwardness,” Cas gave, somehow pulling away even further, which shouldn't have been possible given the size of the bed.

“I guess,” Dean considered, then shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “Still not a big deal, Cas. I mean. You're kind of attractive yourself.”

Dean groaned at himself, realising he sounded like he was flirting. And badly, at that.

Cas gave out a little surprised gasp and finally raised his head to look at Dean.

“I...you do?”

Dean thought over his words, then nodded. “Yeah, Cas.” And Dean took a moment to rove an eye over Cas as best he could in the badly lit room. “You are. In fact, you're pretty hot, you know.”

Dean's words ran away from him and he cursed under his breath but without any real concern. “Still doesn't make this inappropriate. I mean,” he continued, allowing his thoughts to unravel a little freer. “There's always been a bit of... something between us, right Cas? It's not like you're pinning me down to the bed and forcing yourself on me, is it?”

Dean felt his heart quicken at both the sudden hope he felt, and the image that he'd created for himself there, and smirked, before catching Cas' eyes.

Cas just stared back at him, incredulous. “Are you telling me that... it's okay? To...want you?”

Dean asked himself that very question as though it wasn't something he'd had very detailed thoughts about a hundred times over.

Despite his denials, Sam, Crowley, and hey, even the rest of the world's little comments about the way he and Cas were around each other did ring pretty true. They did linger a little close. They did stare at each other as though they were caught in a web. Eye-fucking, Sam kept calling it, and okay, maybe he didn't like the expression that much, but it wasn't so far off the mark.

Dean had often caught himself looking at men over the years. He might have even had a couple of very drunken fumbles in his time, now that he was being truthful about it. But his attraction to Cas had always burned that little bit brighter, and he'd found himself waking in less and less random stranger's beds as that attraction grew.

But he'd done nothing about it.

Now he was questioning himself as to why. Especially, he added, as the feeling seemed to be somewhat mutual.

“Uh, sure, Cas. 'course it's okay to want.”

Cas' head nodded and ducked away.

Dean nudged against him. “Hey. Want's like that. Can't help it, you know? I'm not offended, or angry, or...grossed out by it, if that's what you're getting all pouty about. It's not like I haven't had moments, uh...wanting you back.”

As expected, Cas' head raised instantly, and Dean felt a little caught in headlights, but carried on.

“Just never really been the right time, you know? We've been pretty constant with stuff the last year or so, haven't we? Never really had a moment to just... I don't know. Say something, do something.” Dean shrugged. “Keeping focused on the job's what keeps us alive, right? Keeps our minds clear?” He laughed to himself. “Keeping things 'appropriate'.”

Cas nodded, slowly, and his expression told Dean he was thinking, and hard. “Could now be the right time?” he asked, and Dean thought he could hear a trace of hope there.

“Now?”

“Yes. We are cut off from the world, temporarily. We have no urgency ahead. Is now a right time?”

Dean felt a smile spreading across his face. “Uh. Sure. Got to do something to pass the time, right?”

Cas pulled away a little, and Dean just pulled him right on back.

“Where're you going? I was messing with you.”

Cas let himself be pulled back against Dean's chest but continued to avoid his eyes.

“Cas.” And Dean brought his hand up around the back of Cas' neck. “How about I kiss you? See if we like it?” The words sounded calm, but Dean’s heart was jumping and juddering just at the thought of it.

Cas licked his lips nervously and his eyes fell on Dean's.

“Is that a yes, Cas?” Dean wasn't about to move unless he got all the right signals from him.

When Cas gave the slightest of nods of agreement, Dean leaned forward and pressed a kiss against Cas' mouth. He crooked an eyebrow up, silently asking for consent to continue, then leaned in for another, opening it up a little as Cas responded gently against him.

When Dean felt Cas' hand come up and rest against his cheek, Dean relaxed and allowed himself to enjoy the kiss; his own hands explored a little where they could reach, and Cas gave out these little breathy sighs of appreciation that Dean found he really liked, a lot.

“How's that, Cas?” Dean asked, pulling away a little shakily and catching Cas' eyes.

“It feels...surprisingly good, Dean.” Cas said thoughtfully, fingers coming up to ghost against his mouth.

“'Surprisingly good?' You thought it would feel bad?” he laughed, pretending to be offended whilst he couldn't tear his eyes from Cas’ fingers, and then, “You've been thinking about it?”

Dean continued to watched Cas' lips as he swallowed a little awkwardly. “Only surprising because you are...willing,” Cas looked up then as though he couldn't quite believe it. “And yes. I've been thinking about it a lot.”

Dean smiled, leaning his head down a little to mumble against Cas' lips but not quite kiss him, “You've been thinking about kissing me, Cas?”

“Yes.”

“Then don't you think you should?” Dean asked, grinning.

“I can?”

Dean's chest swelled at that, that Cas would think he needed permission now. “Yeah, Cas. You can.”

And so with a slight oof, Cas pulled himself up a little and leaned his full weight down on Dean, immediately claiming his mouth.

Cas, Dean thought, full of delighted surprise, had clearly been telling the truth when he said he'd thinking about this. A lot.

He could tell from the way Cas alternated the pressure of his kisses. The way he nipped at his lips, coaxing them open. The way he stroked his tongue into his mouth, and gently moved his jaw to change the angles, with the most satisfied of groans rumbling up from deep in his throat throughout.

Dean was helpless to do anything but let him explore, and loved every minute of it.

Pretty soon their groans were accompanied by gasps, with Cas straddling Dean's lap and them rolling their hips together. Dean dug his hands into Cas' ass and held him just where he wanted him, with Cas humming his approval into his mouth.


End file.
